IN CŒNACULO a newsletter for friends of silverstream priory Benedictine Monks of Perpetual Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament Stamullen • Co. Meath • Ireland ADVENT-CHRISTMAS 2015 A Letter from Father Prior DEAR FRIENDS OF SILVERSTREAM PRIORY, ITH THE BEGINNING of Advent 2015, Silverstream Priory is entering into a challenging phase of growth. Soon, all around us, there will be the sights and W sounds of demolition, construction, and renovation going. Daily we keep before us the word of the Psalmist: «Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it» (Psalm 126:1). Saint Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said: «You are a field of God’s tilling, a structure of God’s design; and we are only his assistants» (1 Corinthians 3:9). For a monastery, as indeed for any Christian family, the essential demolition and construction is interior. Saint Ber- nard of Clairvaux describes what happened within his soul when he was visited by the Word, that is by the Son of God: He is life and power, and as soon as he enters in, he awak- ens my slumbering soul; he stirs and soothes and pierces my heart, for before it was hard as stone, and diseased. So he has begun to pluck out and destroy, to build up and to plant, to water dry places and illuminate dark ones; to open what was closed and to warm what was cold; to make the crooked straight and the rough places smooth, so that my soul may bless the Lord, and all that is within me may praise his holy name. (On the Song of Songs, Sermon 74) During this time of growth, I intend to write to you more frequently and more regularly. Each of you can participate in the work going on at Silverstream. First of all, I ask for your prayers, even for a decade of the rosary each day, asking Our Lady to watch over Silverstream and to make it prosper. To your prayers, you can add the offering of little sacrifices, for a foundation is laid solidly, only when it is laid upon the hidden sacrifices of a great number of souls. Secondly, I ask you to make Silverstream Priory known, “FOR A MONASTERY, especially to young men, to your sons, grandsons, broth- AS INDEED FOR ANY ers, nephews, and friends. The birth of a new monastery in CHRISTIAN faMILY, THE Ireland, at a time when religious houses are closing all over ESSENTIAL DEMOLITION AND Western Europe, is a sign of hope and a cause for rejoicing. CONSTRUCTION IS INTERIOR.” There is no dearth of monastic vocations in Ire- each of the Sundays of Advent: 29 November; land but, in the minds of most young men, the 6 December; 13 December; and 20 December. monastic life is a thing of the distant past, asso- Vespers are sung in Latin to the ancient mel- ciated with the stones of ancient ruined abbeys, odies of the traditional Benedictine liturgical with Clonmacnois, and with Skellig Michael. books. There will be a sermon each week and, Speak of Silverstream so that young men might in conclusion, Benediction of the Most Blessed say with the shepherds of the first Christmas: Sacrament. «Let us see this word that is come to pass, which To each of you I offer our warmest Christmas the Lord hath shewed to us» (Luke 2:15). greetings, asking the Mother of God to draw Thirdly, I ask for your financial support. No you, with the shepherds, into the humble cave gift is too small and no gift is too large. Until of the Nativity where she waits to show you the now Silverstream Priory has been kept going by Face of her Infant Son, the very Face that, as we a steady stream of small but regular donations, sing at Christmas Vespers, «all the world desires the alms of ordinary people who are happy to to see». offer a monthly gift. Saint Paul says: Father Benedict and I shall remember all the «It is the cheerful giver God loves. God has friends and benefactors of Silverstream Priory the power to supply you abundantly with in Christmas Masses; it is our way of thanking every kind of blessing, so that, with all your you for your prayers, your friendship, and your needs well supplied at all times, you may support. have something to spare for every work of mercy» (2 Corinthians 9: 7–8). Once again this year, we invite the friends of Silverstream to attend Advent Vespers in the monastery’s temporary Oratory at 4:00 p.m. on DOM MARK DANIEL KIRBY, PRIOR “Tacere et Adorare” — “Be still and adore” HIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY paINTING of the Na- tivity, principally because of the crucifix on the Trustic shelf inside the stable. It is the work of Loren- zo Lotto (1480–1556). The nakedness of the Child in the manger presages His nakedness on the cross. His arms are outstretched in the manger as on the cross. In Bethlehem, the Virgin Mother and Saint Joseph contemplate Him; on Calvary the Virgin Mother and Saint John will look upon Him pierced. According to an ancient monastic tradition, there is no homily at the Mass of Christmas Day. The Gos- pel of the Mass of Christmas Day is the Prologue of Saint John — the mystery of the Word out of silence — calls for an adoring silence. At Silverstream, the Prologue of Saint John is sung to an exquisite First Mode melody. And after it, there has to be silence. After the Word — no other words. Tacere et adorare. Saint John the Theologian presents us with the ineffable mystery of the Word: the Word facing the Father from all eternity; the Word made flesh, pitching his tent among us, that we might see his glory. Before the glory of the Word, all other words fall silent. In the presence of the Word, human dis- course stammers and fails. Silence alone is worthy of the mystery. > Dom Benedict Maria in the cloister of the Abbey of Monte Cassino From our “Student Theologian”, Dom Elijah Maria Carroll T IS A BLESSING to be welcomed to Dublin to the House of Studies of the Irish Prov- Iince of Domincans to study theology along- side their brothers. Holy Mass at the Holy Cave of Saint Benedict Since we are created and loved by God, in Subiaco, Italy Who has revealed Himself to us as our Saviour and Friend, it is our privilege and pleasure as Christians to spend our days in this world growing in knowledge and love of Him by prayer and theological reflection. The business of theology in this world is to prepare us for its fullness in Heaven. For me now, that means I have a full week with many hours in class and plenty of read- ing! The full degree program takes four years, and the first year is called the foundational year because it consists mainly of introduc- tory courses in the various areas of theology. Holy Mass over the Tomb of our Patriarch It is a joy to study theology with such Saint Benedict vibrant, pious, and learned religious. The community in Dublin graciously acts as a second home away from my monastic home. The Dominican priory is not too far from Silverstream, which enables me to live there during the week and return to Silverstream on the weekend. Although there are differences between Domincans and Benedictines, the setting and communal life of prayer and study in Dublin is the best fit for a young monk of Silverstream. We are most grateful to God In late October, Father Subprior (Dom Benedict) and Mikkel for them and all who make my studies pos- (a friend of the priory) made a pilgrimage to Rome and to the sible. > Benedictine holy places of Subiaco and Monte Cassino. They made haste they went at once. In our daily life, it is not like that. For most people, the things of God are not given priority, they do not impose themselves on us directly. And so the great majority of us tend to postpone them. First we do what seems urgent here and now. In the list of priorities God is often more or less at the end. We can always deal with that later, we tend to think. The Gospel tells us: God is the highest prior- ity. If anything in our life deserves haste without delay, then, it is God’s work alone. The Rule of “The Shepherds Made Haste ...” Saint Benedict contains this teaching: «Place ET US RETURN to the Christmas Gos- nothing at all before the work of God» (i.e. the pel. It tells us that after listening to Divine Office). For monks, the Liturgy is the the Angel’s message, the shepherds first priority. Everything else comes later. In its said one to another: «Let us go over essence, though, this saying applies to everyone. L to Bethlehem’ they went at once» God is important, by far the most important (Luke 2:15f.). «They made haste» is literally thing in our lives. what the Greek text says. What had been an- The shepherds teach us this priority. From nounced to them was so important that they them we should learn not to be crushed by all had to go immediately. the pressing matters in our daily lives. From In fact, what had been said to them was utter- them we should learn the inner freedom to put ly out of the ordinary. It changed the world. The other tasks in second place however import- Saviour is born.